Soccer moms, dads kick in $65K for Falmouth playing fields

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Soccer moms, dads kick in $65K for Falmouth playing fields

FALMOUTH — Thanks to a $65,000 gift from the Falmouth Youth Soccer Association, residents will soon be enjoying better playing fields, more convenient parking and greater safety at Falmouth Community Park.

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Photo: William Hall / The Forecaster

Falmouth Youth Soccer Association board members present town representatives with a donation of $65,000 on July 24 to improve Falmouth Community Park. From left to right: Town Council Chairwoman Faith Varney, Director of Parks and Public Works Jay Reynolds, Town Manager Nathan Poore, FYSA President John Scribner and FYSA board member Ron Lydick.

At the park grounds, which are off Winn Road, FYSA board members presented town representatives with a check for the donation on Tuesday, July 24.

The town will use the funds to improve drainage in the park's front fields (lots A and B), add 35 spaces to the adjacent parking lot and place speed-control bumps throughout the park's roadways. FYSA will provide another $15,000 later this year to improve and level the surface of the park's back fields (lot C).

Work on the front fields began last month and is expected to be completed by mid-August.

The town will redirect funds originally earmarked for the improvements to other projects, including renovation of the gazebo next to the front fields and the installation of playground equipment nearby.

"The new playground area will be a wonderful addition to Community Park," said Town Manager Nathan Poore. "In addition to (the playground's) use by siblings of youth sports participants, it will also be a destination for families in Falmouth."

FYSA President John Scribner said said the group is excited to be in a position to help enhance the park for all youth sports.

"Our hope is that the new fields will create more of a family destination for all people in Falmouth," Scribner said. "We didn't want this gift to be soccer-specific. The community has been very good to us, and we wanted to do something that everyone can benefit from."

FYSA raised funds for the donation through the group's annual soccer tournament, the Falmouth Fall Classic, he said. The prestigious tournament hosts teams of elementary-school-age boys and girls on fields at Community Park, as well as at Falmouth High School.

This year's tournament, scheduled for Oct. 6 to Oct. 8, is expected to attract 130 teams from New England and Canada.

Falmouth Community Park, 160 acres in size, includes fields for soccer, baseball, and other activities; nearly four miles of trails for running and hiking; forests and open space; a small waterfall; and pasture for a local dairy farm. Most of the park property was acquired by the town in 1999.